Why does my UTF-8 encoded data appear as gibberish when using PDO with MySQL?

PDO MySQL UTF-8 Encoding Issues

Problem: When utilizing PDO with a MySQL database in PHP, UTF-8 encoded data inserted into the database appears as gibberish.

Possible Cause:

• Incorrect handling of character set and encoding settings during database connection establishment.

Solution:

• Ensure proper character set and encoding configuration upon database connection initialization. Use the following syntax:

<code class="php">$pdo = new PDO( 
    'mysql:host=hostname;dbname=defaultDbName', 
    'username', 
    'password', 
    array(PDO::MYSQL_ATTR_INIT_COMMAND => "SET NAMES utf8") 
); </code>

This line forces UTF-8 encoding on the PDO connection and resolves the encoding issues.

Warning: This solution is intended for PHP versions 5.3.5 and earlier. For PHP versions 5.3.6 and up, refer to alternative solutions provided elsewhere.

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